Lifts, elevators, conveyors, and material handling vehicles, such as forklifts, front-end loaders, excavators, and back hoes, are used to transport a material from point A to point B. Throughout the operation of this equipment, the material, for example a pallet or unearthed land, changes position as a portion of the material handling vehicle, for example the forks or the shovel, changes position.
In some situations, an operator of the equipment or material handling vehicle may not have a desired view of the material or of the work area. For example, in a dark environment, headlights of a front-end loader may light a path only directly in front of the vehicle; however the shovel and material itself do not have an illumination system, nor is the material illuminated as the material changes position. In an alternative situation, a material handling vehicle may be an automated vehicle, with no human control. It may be desirable for a supervisor to observe the operation of the automated vehicle.
Therefore, what is needed are improved systems and methods that illuminate a desired work area.